2023 NBA Mock Draft: Spurs land franchise PG, tanking pays off for Pistons

It brings me no pleasure to bring up this name for obvious reasons, but if there’s any player in this draft that has been in a developmental situation similar to that of Josh Primo at Alabama, it’s Sidy Cissoko playing with the G-League Ignite. Like Primo, Cissoko has been forced to play in many multi-guard/wing lineups alongside teammates Scoot Henderson, Pooh Jeter, Marcus Graves, Mojave King, and London Johnson, often being relegated to the corners in the process despite not being known to thrive away from the ball.

With that in mind, Cissoko played much more as a secondary ball-handler in years past. But make no mistake: while he hasn’t been known as a true point guard up to this point in his career, he is easily one of the most talented passers in his class despite having not been able to show that talent off on a regular basis with the Ignite. Passes like this one from when he played with Iraurgi SB in the Spanish LEB Oro (at only 17 years old) make me very confident of that.

Regardless of position, teams will like Cissoko for his sheer size and physicality, coming in at about 6’7” and 200 pounds, along with his playmaking ability and defensive versatility. But if a team believes in his upside as a ball-handler, passer, and spot-up shooter, I think there could be a few teams willing to experiment with him and take him off the draft board much earlier than some may anticipate.

For now, we have him going 26th overall to the Pacers, but don’t be surprised if he continues to rise in mock drafts during the pre-draft process.